


Black Sheep

by Haleyb333



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 01:43:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6732913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haleyb333/pseuds/Haleyb333
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a different version of how Magnus's story began: when Magnus accidentally hurts his stepfather, he runs to the Silent Brothers for asylum, only to be rescued by the most unlikely of green friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Magnus was sure that he had never been so terrified in his short life. As he ran through the forest, pointedly keeping away from any of the largely populated dirt paths near him, he could feel his heart beating so fast that it felt as though it might bust out of his chest. He was trying to keep his mind off of what had just happened, trying to focus on getting away, on finding safety, but that was easier said than done since his mind was racing just as quickly as his heart.

After about thirty minutes of running, he finally allowed himself to stop and rest for breath. As he leaned back against a tree, he suddenly forgot all the dangers of the forest that had been engrained in him since birth. He was too busy thinking about the horrible things he had just done, about how he might ever get out of the situation he had just made for himself.

Magnus hadn't meant for anything to happen; he had never wanted anyone to get hurt. His father, or rather, his stepfather, as he now knew, had recently become terribly violent. This most likely had much to do with the fact that Magnus's mother had hung herself in their barn, leaving it up to ten-year-old Magnus to find her hanging there. When he ran to his stepfather, he had expected to have his tears wiped away, not to have been hit.

Soon, he had realized that what his mother had done was his fault, that she had been so ashamed of what he was that she couldn't face life any longer. Soon, Magnus became ashamed of himself, too. The more his stepfather hit him, the more he began to understand why his mother had left him.

He had never fought back, he had never been able to so much as protect himself, much less make an attack himself. But when he realized that his stepfather was taking him down to the river, realized that his plan was to rid the world of Magnus forever, Magnus had been unable to keep himself from lashing out. His control over his magic was still minimal at best, and all he remembered feeling was a terror so great, a desire for nothing other than to get free. Then his stepfather was suddenly writing on the ground before him, screaming in pain, and all Magnus had been able to do was run.

Knowing that if he stayed with his stepfather that someone would find him and would either burn him for witchcraft or hang him for murder, Magnus didn't pause to try to help. Now, the full force of what he had just done hit him, and he had to take a moment to hit the ground on his hands and knees, retching with such force that it shook his entire body.

For a few moments, he thought of going back, of turning himself in and letting them do whatever they would to him, of allowing the villagers to rid the world of whatever sort of monster was inside of him. Then, he suddenly thought of what he had been told when he had ventured into town just weeks ago.

For the very first time, Magnus had met another warlock. They hadn't talked long, but the man had told him that if he ever found himself in any trouble, he could run to the Silent Brothers of the Nephilim for safety. Many of the words the man had said hadn't made much sense to Magnus at the time, but the one thing Magnus did remember was how to summon them in order to get to safety.

Magnus only paused a moment before he began to summon them, hoping that they would know what to do, praying that he would find someone, anyone, who would finally be able to help him. And maybe, if he was really lucky, someone to love him the way he had always dreamt of being loved.  
.  
.  
.  
The cell they were holding Magnus in was terribly dark, even though the Brothers had given him a small torch to light it with. They had told him that putting him in the cell was for his own safety, but he couldn't help but feeling as though it served him right for what he had just done. The longer he sat in the cell, the more time he had to think about the events of the past few months. The more he thought about everything that had happened, the worse he began to feel.

Eventually, he found himself curled up on the small cot in the very corner of the cell, hugging the sheets around him, tears quickly soaking the pillow beneath his head. He idly wondered if all warlocks felt this way at one point or another in their lives, felt as though they were monsters, as though the world was decidedly better off without them.

Just as he heard footsteps approaching his cell, he realized that he was shaking, and not because he was cold. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself, to still his body. He knew that the person nearing him had to be someone other than a Silent Brother, he wouldn't be able to hear a Brother. The thought of that should have terrified him. It quickly crossed his mind that it was most likely a Shadowhunter, and he knew he should have been scared that they were going to punish him, but he couldn't find much more emotion through the numbness that had enveloped him.

He didn't feel the need to look up when whoever it was began to unlock his cell. He didn't feel the need to look up when whoever it was shut the door and walked toward his cot. When a green face appeared before him, however, he shot up like a bullet. The man kneeling before him cot was softly smiling at him, as if he knew his appearance had come as a surprise to Magnus.

What had initially struck Magnus was the man's light green skin, but as he turned to face the man, he noticed that he had horns as well. The entire appearance of the man took Magnus off guard. He knew it marked him as a warlock, but having only seen one other warlock in all ten years of his life, Magnus wasn't sure what this meant for him. Before he could think on that any further, the man began to speak.

"I'm sorry if they've frightened you any more than you already were, the Brothers can quite terrifying. They summoned me to see if I could help you, if you want me to that is." When Magnus remained silent, the man chuckled slightly before continuing to speak. "You don't trust me, I know, very wise of you actually. My name is Ragnor. I'm about four hundred years old, if you can believe it, and I'm here to help you, if you'll allow me to do so."

For a moment, Magnus simply stared at him, unsure what to do. Ragnor looked to him to be barely in his twenties, but Magnus figured that if he was really as old as he said he was, then he knew what he was talking about. If anyone knew how to help him, it would most likely be the man before him.

Very slowly, Magnus began speaking for the first time since he'd entered the so-called Silent City, the words heavy on his tongue. "My name is Magnus, and I'm only ten years old. But I'm afraid I'm already the monster my parents always said I would become." Magnus could feel the tears coming once more, and that didn't surprise him very much. What did surprise him, however, was when Ragnor reached over to wipe the tears from his cheeks.

"I know you're scared, Magnus. You have every right to be scared." Ragnor's voice was surprisingly soft in a way that Magnus had never heard anyone speak to him before. "But you're not a monster. You're a warlock, and there's a big difference there; I don't care what your parents told you." Even looking at Ragnor in the very limited light they had, Magnus could tell that he meant what he was saying.

At first, Magnus considered saying no, but then he thought of how Ragnor was the first person to ever talk to him as though he was a person, much less a kid. "Look, Magnus," Ragnor began speaking before Magnus could respond once more. "I wouldn't trust me either, if I were you. But just give me a chance. You have the right to say you want to come back here at any time, and I won't argue, I'll just quietly bring you back, but I'm beginning that you let me help you."

It took a minute for Magnus to process everything that was happening around him. Despite his better judgement, he reached out to Ragnor then, hoping beyond belief that he had finally found a home that would accept him. "Alright, Ragnor," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think I'll go with you."

Ragnor smiled at that, reaching out to help Magnus down off the cot, surprising Magnus by keeping hold of his hand until they exited the Silent City.


	2. Chapter 2

The first day with Ragnor was absolutely tiring for Magnus. Seeing as he had fled without any of his belongings, Ragnor had insisted that they go out to replace the things that he had lost. "Stop your protestation," he'd said. "I've been alive for about four hundred years now, the money is not an issue." Magnus finally stopped telling him that he didn't need to buy him anything, realizing that his efforts were in vain.

He spent most of the day following Ragnor around and listening to him instead of speaking for himself. It wasn't that he disliked Ragnor, quite the opposite really, but he was feeling a bit uncomfortable at how kind Ragnor was being. Up until his parents had realized what he was, they had shown plenty of love for him. But he had never encountered a stranger as kind as Ragnor.

When they had finally gotten to Ragnor's house, he had shown Magnus to his new room and told him that he could do whatever he like with it. Ragnor had made so many things so explicitly his that Magnus was quickly becoming overwhelmed with it all. He had simply sat down on his new bed and stared at the wall, unable to figure out what to do until Ragnor had come back in to check on him. Seeing Magnus just sitting there, he gently sat on the bed beside of him.

"Why don't I help you get your things put away?" He very simply avoided talking to Magnus about what he was feeling, something Magnus was thankful for. "We can do whatever you like with it all." Magnus nodded and finally hopped down from the bed, allowing Ragnor to help him, remaining silent still yet.

When they were done, Ragnor sat down with him once more. "I understand you've been through a lot, so I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to speak to me or anyone else until you're ready." It was then that Magnus realized he hadn't actually spoken a single word all day. He simply looked up at Ragnor and tried to give him a smile, knowing it was most likely a terribly weak one.  
.  
.  
.  
Magnus didn't speak for the next nine days. It wasn't that he made the conscious choice to do so, he just didn't have anything to say. His mind had been running at such high speeds for so long that he didn't have room to process anything else. Ragnor never seemed to push him to speak, he would just talk to Magnus as though everything was normal, but it never felt as though he was expecting Magnus to answer him.

He was relatively fine until he woke up screaming from a nightmare. To his surprise, he heard Ragnor running toward his room, something he hadn't really expected Ragnor to care enough to do. He cautiously opened the door saying, "Magnus, I'm coming in," somehow knowing that Magnus wouldn't have responded if he had asked for permission. He quickly moved to kneel beside of the bed, also somehow knowing that Magnus didn't want to be touched at the moment. "I'm here, Magnus," he said, keeping his voice low. "You're safe now, I promise."

Had it been any other day, Magnus would have been almost offended at the pity in Ragnor's voice, but he knew that Ragnor didn't mean anything by it, that he was just being gentle. "Ragnor?" he asked, getting through the first word he had said in over a week. Ragnor simply nodded, showing that Magnus could ask him anything. "It was a really bad nightmare."

Ragnor gave a soft smile, his voice just as soft when he responded. "I know, Magnus. But it was just a dream. You're here with me, and you're safe." Magnus thought this would have made plenty of sense if his nightmare had been something that Ragnor could protect him from.

He slowly sat up in bed, wanting to explain things for the first time since he'd come to stay with Ragnor. "It was my fault," he began, his voice barely above a whisper. "They were scared of me, and in the end, I hurt them both." He paused for a moment, trying to steady his breath, trying to keep calm. "The last thing my dad said was that I was a monster." He was going to say more, but he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.

For a moment, Ragnor simply looked at him seeming as though he couldn't figure out what to say. He got up for a moment and pulled up a seat beside the bed. "Magnus, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Just hear me out and then you can speak if you wish." His voice was very even, and Magnus could sense that he was trying to keep it that way on purpose.

"You are not, in any way, a monster." He finally reached over to take one of Magnus's hands, giving it a gentle squeeze before continuing. "Your parents were scared because they didn't understand who you are. I know what it feels like, trust me I do; I've had to hide my skin since I was old enough to know how to do so. But the only reason I hide it is because humans don't understand, and it would scare them to know what I am."

Ragnor reached up to swipe the hair out of Magnus's eyes, a gesture that even Magnus knew was filled with kindness. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, either. It doesn't make you a monster just because other people can't understand what you are. You lashed out because you were scared. That's what your parents were doing, too. Would you ever call your parents monsters?"

Magnus considered this for a very long moment, seeing what Ragnor was trying to do, what Ragnor was trying to get him to understand. He slowly shook his head no, earning another weak smile from Ragnor. "Would you ever call me a monster, Magnus? Even in the little time you've known me, would you say that I'm a monster?" This time, Magnus shook his head immediately, Ragnor chuckling as he did so. "You're the same thing I am. So why would you be a monster?'

For a moment, Magnus thought this point was considerably valid. Then he realized that what he was wasn't exactly the problem, it was what he had done that made him the monster in his mind. "It's not that I'm a warlock, Ragnor." His voice was softer than he wanted it to be. "It's what I've done that makes me a monster." Ragnor looked at him for a moment, his expression unreadable to Magnus.

"I've done bad things, too. Terrible things. But the difference between us and demons is that we have the ability to do good things as well. We also feel guilty for the bad that we do. If you didn't feel bad about what happened, Magnus, that's when I would say that something was wrong with you. You have to remember that you're part human, these feelings are perfectly normal."

When Magnus didn't speak again, Ragnor continued, a light smile playing across his lips once more. "There are good warlocks, and there are bad warlocks. Just like there are good humans and bad humans, good vampires and bad vampires. It's not what we are that makes us or breaks us, it's what we do with who we are." He gave Magnus's hand another squeeze before getting up to place the chair back against the wall.

"If you need me," he said, heading toward the door. "You know where my room is." For a moment, Magnus sat and simply stared at the door that closed behind Ragnor. Then he got up and quickly followed, only slightly ashamed that he was going to spend the night in Ragnor's room. I'm a kid, he thought. This is acceptable for kids, isn't it? Ragnor only knowingly smiled as Magnus entered his room, Magnus stuck his tongue out at him before climbing into bed, only earning a hearty chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that some of you are going to say this is out of character for Ragnor, but please just wait until I get further into this story. My own thought is that he's terribly kind to children, especially abused warlock children. I'm going to get into Magnus being older (like teenage Magnus) in the next one, so hold on for Ragnor "I hate the world" Fell!


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Magnus turned 17, he moved out of Ragnor's and found his own place to live, deciding that he was going to find his own way. Moving out had been one of the hardest things Magnus had ever done, and he was determined to not let Ragnor see that. The kindness Ragnor had shown him over the years had been nothing short of the most meaningful thing Magnus could think of. Ragnor had grown to mean absolutely everything to him, and Magnus had begun to think of Ragnor as an older brother.

Sure, over the years they'd had their arguments, but Magnus had come to understand that that was completely natural. Ragnor had taught him far more about love than he had ever imagined he would know, and Magnus had decided that he would never forget that.

Now, Magnus was moving out and into a place with what he thought to be the first love of his life. He'd been so elated when Elaine had responded to his love that he hadn't even paused to ask Ragnor about the hesitation he saw in the other man's eyes. There were just two problems with their relationship as it currently stood, and Magnus planned to ignore them both until he could do so no longer.

The first problem was that Magnus had yet to tell her that he was a warlock. He'd decided very early in the relationship that he would glamor himself until he got a feel for how things were going to work out. Yet the longer things went on, the more and more Magnus found himself thinking that it would be terribly awkward to tell her now, that she would be very angry.

The second problem was a bit more complicated than the first, considering the face that Magnus didn't exactly know what to make of it himself. He was beginning to slightly question his romantic attractions, but the most confusing part to him was that he knew he was still entirely attracted to women, which didn't make sense to him when he started realizing that he was attracted to men as well. This was such a foreign thought to him that Magnus often put it in the back of his mind and decided to save it for a rainy day. He knew that the punishment for homosexuality during this time was just as bad as the punishment for witchcraft, and he didn't even want to think about what the might do to him if they found out his attractions were equal both ways.

So Magnus decided that the best course of action was to keep everything from Elaine, despite Ragnor's constant protestation that he needed to show her exactly who he was. Magnus knew that he should listen to Ragnor, everything inside of him begged him to do so, but the thought of how she might react kept him from doing so. And now here he was, lying on the bed beside of her, wondering if things would ever be completely honest between them again.

"Magnus, darling?" Elaine said, pulling Magnus out of his thoughts. "You look so deep in thought. What could you possibly be thinking about that would take you that far away from me?" Magnus couldn't help but smile at her question. He knew that this was the perfect opportunity to tell her absolutely everything, but he knew himself well enough to know that he wouldn't take that opportunity.

"I was just thinking about your beauty," he flirted effortlessly, rolling over on his side to face her. Magnus felt joy well within him when Elaine's smile brought light to her face. He idly wondered if this was what true love felt like, but he pushed that away, having taught himself to never hope for love.

Before Elaine could respond, before Magnus had any time to further contemplate their relationship, there was a bloodcurdling scream outside that was followed by silence that seemed louder than the scream itself. Magnus didn't need to get up and investigate to know that there were demons outside of the house, he'd been around enough demon attacks to know what they sounded like.

The world froze when Magnus realized that the only way he would be able to protect either of them from demons was to use his magic against them. The only problem with that was that the tiny fact that that would mean showing Elaine exactly who he was. Just as Magnus turned to her to motion for her to stay there, Magnus heard the front door cave in. Before he could think about it, Magnus was on his feet, sneaking out of the bedroom door as quickly as possible.

After that moment, Magnus didn't have time to stop and think any longer. He either had to fight back or die, and the second was not a viable option. Magnus got lost in the fight after that, his head no longer on whether or not Elaine might be watching, what she might be thinking of him. As soon as the demon was incapacitated, however, Magnus turned to see Elaine standing in the doorway, her expression completely unreadable.

Or it was unreadable, at least, until Magnus began to walk toward her. "Do not come near me!" she all but screamed at him. When he stopped, she spoke again, her voice was much softer, but it was no less terrified. "What on earth was that, Magnus? What are you?" For a few moments, Magnus considered simply leaving, he thought about not even trying to explain things. Then he thought of all that Ragnor had taught him about not being ashamed of who he was, and he dove into the explanation.

The entire time Magnus was speaking, Elaine simply looked at him as though she'd lost someone she loved. When he was finished explaining things as best as he could, she seemed to explode once more. "I am leaving," she said without any hesitation. "Frankly, Magnus, you're disgusting. What would ever make you think that I would want to be in a relationship with a monster like yourself?" Magnus wanted to answer that he honestly had no idea, he wanted to tell her that he'd been wondering the same thing, but he couldn't do anything other than look down at the floor.

"I'll just be getting my things now, and I kindly ask that you stay away from me." Magnus simply sat down in the only chair that seemed to still be standing upright after his fight with the demon. He couldn't seem to move himself until Elaine walked out of bedroom and past him once more. "I don't ever want to see you again," she said with such finality that Magnus felt his chest tighten.

The next thing Magnus knew, he was knocking on Ragnor's door, trying desperately to believe that everything that had just happened had been a nightmare. "What's wrong?" Ragnor asked as soon as he opened the door. Before that moment, Magnus had resolved that he was not going to break down; he had thought that he would simply tell Ragnor what had happened. But the fact that Ragnor immediately knew that Magnus was hurt was too much for him to handle.

Instead of trying to change Magnus's mind, instead of trying to change how Magnus felt, Ragnor simply allowed him to talk. It was like he knew there would be no chance of helping Magnus immediately. When Magnus was finally done talking, however, Ragnor said only one thing to him.

"Magnus, I know you don't believe me, but one day you will find someone who doesn't care about you being a warlock, someone who thinks that this is just a part of who you are." Magnus looked up to see that Ragnor had a soft smile on his face, which only made Magnus more upset for reasons that he couldn't explain. "Think of this heartbreak as practice. Think of this as trial and error. Then when the right person comes around, you'll be ready."

It suddenly hit Magnus that Ragnor hadn't said "woman," that he'd said "person," and Magnus looked up to see what Ragnor might have meant by that. It wasn't immediately evident to Magnus that Ragnor knew more than he was letting on, so Magnus decided to make no comment on the matter.

"You're not a monster, Magnus. But I understand that me sitting here and telling you that over and over again isn't going to help you feel any better." At that, Ragnor got up and began to walk toward his bedroom. "Feel free to stay here tonight, I don't mind. But Magnus," he said, turning around and giving Magnus an all too knowing look. "Whenever you do realize that I'm right, please come tell me so I can say, 'I told you so.'"


	4. Chapter 4

Magnus looked up from the memorial marker that he'd made for Ragnor for the first time since he'd begun talking to Alec. He was still slightly unable to believe that he'd been telling Alec all of these things; Ragnor had been the only one who ever knew any of them. For several long moments, Alec remained silent, seemingly trying to find the right words. Before he began speaking, Alec reached over to take hold of Magnus's hand.

"It sounds like you were really lucky to have Ragnor," Alec said, his voice the kind of soft that Magnus knew it became when he was trying to comfort someone. Magnus worked to swallow the lump in his throat.

"'Lucky' is the understatement of the century, Alexander," Magnus replied, blinking through the tears that were threatening him. He'd brought Alec here for the first time today because the thought of being alone while visiting Ragnor's makeshift grave had been too much for him to bear. Not to mention the fact that it was very easy for Magnus to see that he needed to begin to tell Alec more of his past; he could see his lack of communication, and he had resolved to begin to open up more. Bringing Alec to visit Ragnor with him was likely the hardest thing he'd done so far in their relationship, but Magnus knew that it was the beginning.

"Ragnor has been my rock, Alec. He's been the one thing over four hundred years that kept me anchored no matter what." Magnus took a deep breath before continuing, trying his hardest to focus on the feeling of Alec's hand in his. "And now here he is," Magnus finished, staring at the grave before him. It was then that Magnus felt the tears begin to fall, and he quickly reached up to angrily wipe them away. He'd never so much as thought about crying in front of Alec before, and the fact that he was doing so now made him feel terribly weak.

Before long, Magnus found himself reaching up once more to forcefully wipe tears away, but this time, Alec reached over and took hold of both of his hands. "Stop it, Magnus. He was your brother. There's nothing wrong with what you're feeling right now, so don't try to keep from feeling it." Without thinking, Magnus leaned into Alec, closing his eyes and wishing everything to be one huge nightmare.

"Ragnor saved my life. So many times. And he taught me more than anyone could ever teach me," Magnus said, hearing the weakness in his own voice. "What am I supposed to do without him?" Magnus could sense Alec getting ready to answer, but something stopped him. Instead of opening his eyes, Magnus simply waited, unable to find the energy to figure out what was going on.

In just a few moments, Magnus heard a very familiar voice behind him. "Looks like we both have the same question, Bane," Raphael said. At this, Magnus did turn around, confused until he saw that it was a projection of Raphael and not Raphael himself. It seemed so out of character for Raphael to be speaking this way about anyone that Magnus couldn't help but look to him in question.

"You're not the only one who Ragnor helped; you're not the only one whose life Ragnor ever saved," he said, the usual bitterness and annoyance gone from his voice. Magnus was too shocked to be able to say anything at all, and Raphael clearly picked up on this. "I called the Institute and Isabelle told me that you were here. I wasn't going to bother you, but I wanted to visit Ragnor as well." Raphael looked down at his feet after saying this, and Magnus could tell just what this meant to Raphael.

Magnus turned back to the grave and leaned further into Alec while Raphael's projection came to sit beside of them. Before either of them could say anything else, Alec spoke up once more. "I have a question for the two of you," he said, and Magnus simply nodded. "I thought you said that Ragnor was constantly grumpy. But everything you just told me makes me think otherwise."

The only thing Magnus could do at that question was smile. He glanced over, surprised to see Raphael smiling as well. "He was always exceedingly kind," Magnus began, the mischief apparent in his voice. "That is, until I hit my midlife crisis and began causing him much more trouble than I was worth." He felt Alec chuckle beside of him and that only made him smile wider.

"I think your midlife crisis has been going on for quite some time, Magnus," Alec responded, and Magnus didn't need to look at him to know that he was smiling. Magnus nudged him playfully, but the suddenly stopped, gripped by the realization that he would never share a happy moment such as this with Ragnor again.

"I think that Ragnor was naturally kind to those who needed him," Magnus explained, trying hard to keep his feelings inside of him. "He was naturally grumpy, sure. But he knew when he was needed and he knew exactly what to do every single time someone needed him." Magnus had to stop talking for fear of coming to tears again. Alec seemed to sense this because he gave Magnus another squeeze.

Suddenly, Raphael gave a sharp laugh, one that sounded much more in pain than Magnus knew Raphael wanted it to sound. "I never thought I'd say this, but he was one of the best men I've ever met." At that, Raphael feel completely silent, eyes on the grave before him, and Magnus could tell by the way he held himself that he wouldn't be saying anything else.

Magnus closed his eyes once more, a vivid image of Ragnor helping him when he was young suddenly coming back to him. Magnus tried his hardest to get closer to Alec, but nothing seemed to help the now overwhelming flood of emotions. When Magnus opened his eyes, Raphael's projection was gone, but Ragnor's grave was all too present. "What am I going to do without him?" Magnus asked again, feeling as though he was losing more of his strength every second.

For several moments, Alec simply thought about this, and Magnus knew he was searching for the right words. "You're going to endure, Magnus, the same way you always have." Alec leaned over to kiss the top of Magnus's head, a gesture that only filled Magnus's eyes with more tears. "I may not be Ragnor, but I'm certainly here for you in the same way. You're terribly strong, Magnus. And Ragnor knew that. He wouldn't have spent so much time helping you if he didn't."

Magnus considered telling Alec that all the help he had needed over the years only made him weak, but he knew Alec would argue with him over this. "Magnus," he continued, his voice growing softer. "I know you're hurting; I'm not trying to invalidate that. But Ragnor can still be your rock even though he's gone. You know better than I do that Ragnor would want you to pick yourself up and keep going. Let his memory be the reason you do so."

The next thing Magnus knew, he was on his feet, walking away from Ragnor's grave. Alec quickly caught up with him, and Magnus was surprised when he didn't say a word. Before long, Magnus found that he'd run out of strength, but when he tried to stop and stand still, his knees gave way and he quickly found himself on the ground, Alec right beside of him.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever done, Alexander," he admitted, unable to think about anything other than all of the things he could have done, should have done, to save Ragnor. He closed his eyes as Alec wrapped his arms around him, trying, and failing, to focus on anything other than the hole in his chest.

"I may not have known Ragnor," Alec began, the hint of a smile evident in his voice. "But one thing I know is that he's still here with you. He's never going to leave you, Magnus, no matter how much of a headache you cause him. You can never truly lose a brother."

It took several moments, but Magnus finally realized how right Alec was. With that, he was on his feet once more, walking back toward Ragnor's grave. "You're right, Alexander," Magnus said, the resolve suddenly spread throughout his words. "Which is why I want to ask you something." When Alec nodded, Magnus continued, knowing that this was a step in the right direction. "I would like you to introduce me to Max. I'd like to possibly become the type of brother that Ragnor was, and I think you and Max just might be able to teach me how to do so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts on this story!! This was so painful for me to write because Ragnor is one of my favorites! Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
